Become More Organized | Week 1 Get Your Families Buy In
So those of you who read my last post Become
More Organized, are aware that I struggle with organization pretty much in
all areas of my life. Oh yea, and have a
lot going on! You call it ADHA, I call
it a lot going on……
Over the last work I have really put a lot of focus and energy
into getting my family on board becoming more organized. I have a houseful! Four children, a husband, 4 dogs and a fat
ass cat. Without a name, the nameless
cat! I meant to ask what the hell his
name is but well, I HAD TO MUCH GOING ON!!!…
Okay I admit it I totally forgot, maybe next week this fat ass cat, that
I call kitty will have a name for us.
My family is not by any means dirty people. We are clean, dishes are always done,
counters wipes, floors clean, bathrooms clean, cloths washed, ect. It is the organization that needs to
improve. You know putting something up
right after it is used, everything having a place, filing papers rather than
just setting them on the comer until later.
My husband and I both work full time. When we get home the last thing we want to do
is clean, we are guilty of being lazy and spending quality time with each other
and the children. However, it comes back
to bite us we end up doing more cleaning and picking up daily that we would if
all of us would just put everything back where it belongs right after we use
it.
If I am going to get organized I need the help and support
of my family. There is simply too many
of us for me to be the only person to become organized. So, how do you get your family on board to
become more organized?
Tips to getting your family on board and become more
organized along with you.
- Lead
by Example.
This may go without saying, however if you expect your
family to become more organized, clean up after themselves, hang their cloths,
put their shoes up, put dirty dishes in dishwasher, ect; you have to lead by
example. Start doing these things
yourself before you talk to your family about becoming more organized.
Your children are not going to eat healthy if you don’t, so
why would you expect them to clean up after themselves if you are not doing it
also.
Before you decide to sit your family down and talk to them
about becoming more organized with you.
Make sure you are willing to venture down that road yourself.
Let them see you becoming more organized for a little while
before you mention it to them. They may
think it is just a phase mom is going through if they do not see you doing it
for a little bit.
- Show
them how you are going to become more organized.
It happens to me all the time, you think they should just
know their cloths need to be put up, room needs cleaned, pick their cloths up
out of the bathroom. The fact is, most
children won’t do it unless you speak up and ask them to do it.
Remember you have to show them how you want things
done. If you want cloths put up in
certain drawers do it with them a few times until they understand and can do it on their own.
I do have to give my 13 year old daughter credit she has
really stepped it up. I have found I
have to ask her to do things less and less.
Not sure if it is age or it is finally starting to sink in.
- Let
them know the benefits.
It is important that everyone understand what becoming more
organized means for them. In our case,
it means less daily cleaning. If we were
to become more organized and pick things up right away, there will be less
daily cleaning. Other than cooking dinner
and doing dishes there would not be much else to do.
This had the biggest impact to my children, they hate that I
make them pick up their rooms, the bathroom and their stuff every single
day. I talked to them and they
understand that if they become more organized too it means more free time for
friends and playing, less work. Who
doesn’t want to work less and play or
relax more?
- Make
it fun to do.
Cleaning is not supposed to be fun, but if we make it fun
for our family they will be much more likely to participate and become more
organized with you.
Unfortunately my 11 year old son has Cebral Palsy and is wheelchair bound, so he is not able to help a
whole lot. I have a 13 year old girl, 7
year old girl and 2 year old girl that love to have fun.
We normally deep clean the house every Sunday morning, the
whole family helps. I learned a long
time ago if I expected my girls to help I needed to make it fun. Now we play music, sing, dance. We have even name out mop Mopolina and our
broom, Braomme, Once I started the fun,
my children began to participate more.
Make being more organized fun also, buy bins that are your child’s
favorite colors for the bathroom, bedroom
or wherever they are needed. My
sister-n-law has a basket ball goal over the dirty cloths hamper, which I will
be borrowing that idea for my home as
well.
Sometimes if they all pitch in and do an outstanding job,
with no fighting or arguing I will reward them.
I love to reward my children for a job well done, and they appreciate it
as well.
- Say
Thank You.
Thank you goes a long way.
I like for someone to tell me thank you for something that I did. When someone tells me thank you for something
I have done it makes me want to do it again and better next time. A genuine thank you goes a long way.
There is a way to work full time, do dinner, homework,
baths, spend quality time with the family and have an organized house. We would save time by putting things up right
after we use it, filing papers rather that piling them, and focusing on having somewhat of a schedule.
I have talked to my family and they also want to become more
organized. They see that there is benefits
to becoming more organized, and know that by everyone pitching in it means less
daily cleaning up.